36+ Complaint Letter Examples

We complain about a lot of things from products and services to guidelines and processes. Complaints are statements or documents that convey an individual’s dissatisfaction to a certain thing or because of an unacceptable act. Most complaints are are usually because of problems with products and services.

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In this article are 42+ complaint letter examples that we have provided for you. You may download them for your personal use or you may use them as reference if you prefer to write your own complaint letter. Each sample is different to meet your different needs, but they are all useful. So go ahead and download now!

Airline Delay Complaint Letter

Airline Customer Service Complaint

The General Elements That Make Up a Complaint

Complaints are made effective when all the necessary elements are documented before they are filed. Filing a complaint that lacks information can appear misleading or untrue. Both results are embarrassing. You don’t want to be put in a situation that would make you look like a liar or someone who is taking advantage. So before you hand in that letter of complaint, you should first check if all the appropriate elements are included in your letter.

Your letter of complaint should contain a heading that has the name, address, and phone number of your attorney. If you are filling it on your own, you should write your name. The heading should be put at the top of your letter where it can be seen clearly. The caption comes after the heading. It usually contains a brief account of the complaint. If applicable it also includes the court in which the case was originally from.

The jurisdiction sets the limit or the authority of a certain case or complaint. If the said complaint happened in a certain place, then its jurisdiction is limited to that place. This is how the venue of court proceedings are selected and the reason why they should be heard in that venue instead of a different courtroom.

The parties here refer to the one who filed the compliant and the one who is being complained. In other words, the complainant and the defendant. There may be two or more parties depending on how many parties are involved in the complaint.

The definitions part of the complaint contains the definition of terms or words that are being used in the whole process. The purpose of this part is to avoid confusion among those who are involved in the proceedings. The definition part is optional and may be omitted.

In every complaint there are facts that make it possible to reach court and they are called the statement of facts. A statement of fact is a proof that the said complaint has basis and is deemed to be true. It gives significance to the complaint.

The cause of action justifies the right of the complainant to file a complaint. They are a set of facts that allows a complainant to bring the complaint to court. There are points that the complainant needs to prove in order to win. Failure to gain these points may mean that the complaint may be dismissed.

Most complaints are due to injury of some sort. The complainant will explain in court how the said situation has injured them. This injury may be in the form of physical injury, mental injury, emotional injury, or it has hurt one’s rights by law.

The complainant may demand for relief. This means that they can ask for compensation for the damage or the injury that they have incurred. In short, it is the remedy for complaint. This remedy can be a monetary or non-monetary compensation. You may also find sample workers compensation forms helpful.

Bank Complaint Letter Examples

Bank Charges Complaint Letter

Bank Service Complaint Letter

How to Write a Letter of Complaint

There are instances where we really have to write a complaint. Complaints are written for different reasons. It could be because of poor service, bad products, and criminal or legal liabilities. If you are looking into writing a complaint, then here is how you can deal with it.

Before starting your letter, try first to resolve the problem by discussing it with the representative or the managers and supervisors. If the problem is still not resolved or if you are still not satisfied with the resolution, go ahead and start your letter of complaint. You may also see our sample business complaint letters.

As with all other letters, your letter of complaint should contain a header. This is to let the reader know that it is something to be taken care of first.

If possible make your letter of complaint a formal letter. Address the letter of complaint to the appropriate department. No matter how angry you may be, if your letter doesn’t seem to look like business, then it may not be taken seriously.

Always be clear when providing the details of your complaint. If you have purchased a product that is defective, include in your letter the type of product, the brand name, the model number and serial number, the date purchased, and the price. Making a copy of the receipt as well as the warranty may be necessary. Make sure you don’t forget any details.

Tell them straight to the point what you want from them and how you want it done, and give them a deadline for a response. State in your letter the span of time you will allow them to make amends or do as you requested. Understand that they also have a process to follow, so be reasonable and give them enough time.

Let your anger swell, and swear or throw nasty words to something while you are alone, just don’t put it in writing. Writing a letter of complaint to the appropriate department doesn’t mean that they are at fault about the problem. They might just be the person who is able to help you.

Always be polite even in writing. There is nothing you can gain if you write demeaning things on your letter.

Make a copy of the necessary documents and attach them to your letter of complaint.

Do not forget to provide your contact details, whether it is your phone number or email address.

When you send your letter, ask for a signature of receipt to confirm that the company has received it.

Delivery Failure Complaint Letter

Delivery Service Complaint Letter

The Five Major Types of Complaints

Since there are a lot of complaints depending on the problem or situation, they are categorized under the five major types of complaints to be able to distinguish one from the other. The five major types of complaints are provided and will be discussed below.

The performance- or the operations-related complaints are the types of complaints we hear almost every day. These are complaints that are about bad or defective products and services that is related to lack of supervision, or shortcomings in value creation or operational procedures. Complaints may arise from product malfunction and defects, missing parts, and if the product is not what it is described to be.

The customer touch point-related complaints are complaints about the performance, behavior, and attitude of the establishment’s front line employees or the employees who directly deals with the customers. This is how customer service is determined to be effective. These types of complaints should be resolved effectively. An example is when making errors with the product price or discount.

We watch commercials a lot of times on television. There are commercials that are very catchy and some offer discounts. Who wouldn’t get attracted to discounts and freebies? This is a marketing strategy. If a marketing strategy goes wrong, there will be marketing-related complaints. Examples of marketing complaints are because of false discounts or the there really isn’t that kind of discount for that brand.

A business or company service-related complaints are service complaints about your company’s performance. The problems reported in this complaint are not on the products and services but on the company itself. For example, training is not provided to employees, there are no standards followed, and there are not enough equipment to complete the tasks, which may lead to failure to make deliveries or meet deadlines. You can also check sample employee complaint forms to download.

An illegitimate or false complaints are complaints that are not true or are proven to have no basis. Illegitimate complaints need to be resolved right away and the customer should be notified that such complaint has no proof. Since they are still your customers, care should be taken so as not offend them.

Is There a Charge for Filing a Complaint?

Yes, there is. The charges differ depending on your state or local government. The process and requirements of filing also depend on your local government. The complainant may have this fee paid by the defendant and this should be stated in their complaint. In the state courts, each party is responsible to pay their fees to their own attorneys.

Whatever the reason for your complaint is, we have sample letters for all your needs. You just have to look for one that fits your need. You can also download all of these samples because they are all available online. Take advantage of this chance to make your complaint letter easy to write, reliable, and most of all, effective. You may also find free sample complaint letters. So what are you waiting for? Download now!